Latest news with #LongviewPoliceDepartment
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Yahoo
IN FOCUS: The Longview Police Department's work to address homelessness
LONGVIEW, Texas (KETK) – In this edition of East Texas In Focus, KETK's Nolan Hoffman continued his conversation with the Chief of the Longview Police Department Anthony Boone about addressing homelessness in the city, along with training and hiring staff. IN FOCUS: The future of Longview Police Department Boone started the second part of his conversation with Nolan by discussing the department's training and hiring procedures. When Boone started as chief in the summer of 2022, the department had 25 vacancies but now they have only one open position. 'I think over the last couple of years, we have really attracted people that are tied to service and want to help and want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. That has really helped our staffing levels. I am very proud to have just one vacancy,' Boone said. For Boone, the Longview Police Department's hiring standards are different than other departments. That means their tests are more personal so they can make sure they get the right person for the job. 'Our standards are a little bit different than the rest of the world. So, right off the bat, after somebody comes in and does their initial testing and there's a physical test and a written test, we give them a packet that's probably about 40 pages thick of basically their whole life story. So it gets very personal, very quick,' Boone said. 'We also have psychological exams that are required through the state but we also go beyond that. We do polygraph examinations, a very in-depth background investigation, which goes much deeper than just a reference check for most other jobs. And so just the the length of the process, that alone eliminates some people from even wanting to go through it.' Boone said if around ten people show for one test only around one of those ten people will be hired. He also credited their training success to their new police academy which they started during the COVID-19 pandemic as a collaboration with Kilgore College. IN FOCUS: Preparing for the East Texas storm season Then Nolan and Boone's conversation turned to the subject of the unhoused population in Longview and the work Longview PD does with them every day. 'Dealing with unhoused individuals, that's something that probably we deal with every day,' Boone said. 'Sometimes we have people that end up either sleeping somewhere or they're they're at a location where that business owner may not want them. So that will create a what we call a criminal trespass call, where they want us to come out there and then remove that that person from the location.' According to Boone, some of these calls will be dealt with by patrol officers but they also have a Police Outreach Services Team (POST) that started in 2018. Boone said that in 2024 alone the two person team was able to place 95 unhoused people into housing or rehabilitation. Along with getting people into housing, they've also been able to help people get back home after getting stuck in Longview. 'Sometimes folks, they've come to Longview for, maybe initially it was for a job, maybe it was along the way they followed somebody else and they've just gotten stuck here, and we've had 41 individuals that we're able to send back to wherever home was,' Boone said. 'Now on that we don't just put somebody on a bus and send them to wherever, but we actually contact family on the other side and make sure that there's a family member, a friend, somebody that's willing and ready to receive them when they get get back to home.' IN FOCUS: Following the legacy of Pope Francis Boone also discussed their ID program where they can help people who've lost their identification get new state ID documents. 'Sometimes we've learned that these individuals, they're eligible to receive benefits, but they've lost their ID along the way,' Boone said. 'If we can prove who they are and we can help them get a state ID, that's the first step to then let them get their Social Security card again.' While Boone hopes their work is helping to decrease the homeless population in the area he also stressed that this is an issue all across the country. 'I hope that helps decrease it in our area, but I do think that it will continue to be an issue. I think, until we figure out how to tackle mental health as a society and solve our drug abuse issues, I think we will continue to see some of these trends,' Boone said. 'I do definitely believe it's a much larger problem than just law enforcement. I just think law enforcement's received the bulk of 'hey y'all, y'all take care of this.' But this is definitely a community problem, this is as a society problem. And we're all gonna have to put our heads together and may have to spend some money together to figure out how to to really make this work and truly help people.' In the full second half of their conversation in the video above, Nolan and Boone spoke about the department's community outreach efforts and Boone's hopes for the city. To view the first half of their conversation, click here for last week's episode of East Texas In Focus. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
POLICE: Longview ISD student arrested after making continuous threats off campus
LONGVIEW, Texas (KETK) – A Longview ISD student was arrested after allegedly making continuous threats while off campus. East Texans react to possible end of STAAR testing The Longview Police Department was made aware of the threats on Wednesday and charged the student with Terrorist Threat, a third-degree felony. The student was then taken to the Gregg County Juvenile Detention Center. 'The Longview Police Department remains committed to thoroughly investigating all threats made toward or on school campuses,' Longview PD said. ' Appropriated charges will be pursued in every case to ensure the safety of students.' Anyone who may know of any suspicious activity is asked to contact Longview PD at 903-237-1199 to ensure the safety and security of all students and staff. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Yahoo
POLICE: East Texas man arrested for murder after Longview shooting
LONGVIEW, Texas (KETK)– An East Texas man was arrested after a fatal shooting on Tuesday afternoon making the incident the first homicide of the year in Longview, the Longview Police Department said. According to the department, around 2:47 p.m. officers responded to a shooting in the 900 block of Toler Road where they found Jonathan Ragland shot. He was pronounced him dead at the scene. AFFIDAVIT: Parent arrested for giving vodka-laced Jell-O shots to kids at Tyler elementary Christmas party Officials said the shooter left the scene before officers arrived but identified the suspect as Dalton Chandler Lawrence, 26 of Longview. Lawrence was later arrested for Murder, along with two outstanding warrants from Wood County. 'This is the first homicide of the year in Longview,' Longview Police Department said. 'We do ask that if you saw anything in this area or know anything, please contact Longview Police at 903-237-1999.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Yahoo
Tip leads to arrest of child sex abuse suspect in Longview
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A tip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children led Longview Police to arrest a 36-year-old man from Oklahoma for the alleged possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material. On Wednesday, the Longview Police Department served a search warrant at a motel room on Hemlock Street in Longview's New West Side. During the search, police arrested suspect Timothy Howard David Bennett. The death of Dane Paulsen: New details of body found in Siletz River 'During an interview with CIU detectives, Bennett admitted to downloading and distributing child sexual abuse material and participating in online group chats where such material was shared,' Longview Police said. 'His statements were consistent with the details in the CyberTip report.' Bennett was booked into the Cowlitz County Jail on multiple charges. The investigation is ongoing. Gresham police seek teen suspect in fatal shooting of 17-year-old boy 'The Longview Police Department remains committed to protecting children from online predators and will continue working with federal and state partners to hold offenders accountable,' LPD said. 'Anyone with information regarding this case or similar activity is encouraged to contact the Longview Police Department.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Yahoo
Accused Longview drug dealer arrested after 15-year-old's overdose death
PORTLAND, Ore. () — A Longview man was arrested after allegedly dealing drugs to a teenager who later died from an overdose, authorities said. On Thursday, the Longview Police Department said they arrested 20-year-old Baylee Garcia after executing a search warrant at his home in the 200 block of 28th Avenue. During the search, police said they also seized evidence such as drugs and paraphernalia, several guns and a bullet-proof vest. Garcia is now facing multiple charges related to drug dealing, including controlled substance homicide. Two cats infected with bird flu in Multnomah County The investigation began when Longview police said they responded to a report of a '15-year-old male who was unresponsive and potentially overdosed' on January 25 at a home in the 2400 block of McAtee Drive. 'Officers and medics arrived on the scene and confirmed the juvenile was deceased,' Longview police said in a press release. Police said the investigation indicated the 15-year-old had 'ingested multiple 60 mg morphine pills purchased from a known drug dealer.' Witness statements, phone data from the victim and video evidence from a business surveillance camera resulted in detectives suspecting Garcia of 'actively selling illegal substances, including morphine, LSD, and psilocybin mushrooms, to juveniles in the Longview area,' police said. Garcia also faces other charges — based on evidence collected during the search — that include unlawful gun possession, identity theft and welfare fraud, police said. Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to contact Longview police. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
